Digital Commons Network^™

Investigating The Most Valued Components Of The South Carolina Teaching Fellows Program By Graduates Who Have Remained In The Education Profession, Amanda Jane Darden

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The vision of every elementary, middle, and high school in the United States is to deliver an excellent educational setting to each and every student who enters their school building. Educational research overwhelmingly demonstrates that a primary factor contributing to an “excellent educational setting” is having highly qualified and effective teachers (Rice, 2003). However, the teacher supply and demand issues currently facing our nation is significantly compromising the ideal of providing excellent educational settings in our schools. Teacher attrition is a problem that faces schools throughout the United States. The number of teachers leaving their positions to pursue other careers …

A Study Linking Title 1 Strategic Resource Allocation To Student Academic Success In South Carolina Public Schools, Brenton Jerrod Coe

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Strategic instructional resourcing has become an important topic in public education, the most lucrative and expensive business in the United States. It is estimated which the United States spends about $612.7 billion annually on public education. This study will analyze and synthesize data from Title I schools in South Carolina, specifically in the area of resource allocation and its relationship to student academic success. Historically, public education has provided all citizens with an equal and equitable opportunity to receive an adequate education. Over time, access to strong public education can impact the lives of students with regard to social mobility. …

Workplace Factors That Contribute To Teacher Intent To Leave The Profession, Teresa Blount Gibbons

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

There is a nationwide shortage of qualified teachers, with 90% of all teacher shortages caused by teacher attrition (Carver-Thomas & Darling-Hammond, 2019). This study surveyed public school K-12 teachers in South Carolina to gain an understanding of workplace factors that contribute to teacher intentions to quit/ teacher attrition. The current design measures teacher stress perceptions of workplace factors as the relational theoretical lens to determine teacher intention to leave or likelihood of attrition. The results of a study suggest that student stressors and workload are the most important factors in teacher attrition. A qualitative analysis of student stressors found that …

Adaptability: Its Professional Capital And Influence On Secondary Science Teacher Job Satisfaction, Kristy A. Floyd

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Following a 15-year decline, the United States is experiencing the lowest educator job satisfaction ever recorded amidst a critical teacher shortage. Discussions of how to retain teachers are part of everyday conversations in education. Although much research has been conducted on the many factors influencing job satisfaction, one factor that has yet to be thoroughly studied is teacher adaptability. Everyday challenges such as new curricula, policy changes, and the COVID-19 pandemic require teachers to be adaptable. This study analyzed the results of a teacher survey that examined the elements of professional capital to determine how they affected teacher adaptability and …

Covid-19'S Impact On School Principals' Self-Efficacy As Managerial Leaders, Krystle Marie Ballatore

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation in practice (DiP) employs qualitative research and educational theories to examine the impact of COVID-19 on school principals' self-efficacy in one South Carolina school district. Its theoretical framework is based on Bandura's (1977, 1986, 1997) social cognitive theory. The dissertation begins by outlining the specific problem at hand, relevant general concerns, and a purpose statement. This problem serves as the foundation for the research questions: How has the COVID-19 pandemic impacted principals' self-efficacy as their schools' managerial leaders? How do these principals' experiences vary in degree of impact by school level (i.e., early childhood, primary, elementary, intermediate, middle, …

Deterrent Effects Of The Select Magnetic And Repellent Treated (Smarttm) Hooks And The Recently Developed "Smarter" Hooks On Sharks In Recreational Hook-And-Line And Longline Trials, Ryan Lowndes

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As bycatch continues to impact global shark populations, there is a continuing need for effective bycatch reduction devices. Prior research has shown promise in exploiting sharks' electrosensory ability to this end. We tested the deterrent efficacy of the Select Magnetic and Repellant Treated (SMARTTM) and the newly developed "SMARTER" hooks in experimental longline and hook-and-line trials. Both are magnetized and contain an electropositive metal component made of magnesium (SMART) and a magnesium alloy designed to extend longevity (SMARTER). We deployed 127 longlines with SMART hooks, SMARTER hooks, controls, and procedural controls from 2021-2022 in Winyah Bay, South Carolina, and caught …

Does School Choice Guarantee Reading Success? An Investigation Into The Impact Of West Charter School District On The Reading Success Of Third Graders, Shemekia Lachristy Nero

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

South Carolina's Charter School Act of 1996 was passed for the primary reason of improving education for the state. A part of this improvement would come by way of charter schools providing innovative ways of teaching and learning. In 2017 WCSD was established, in hopes of answering the call of the 1996 Charter School Act by providing innovative ways of educating students, thus improving public education in the state. Today, South Carolina's school system ranks 44th in the nation, out-performing only six other states, and there is no data proving or disproving the impact of WCSD on education. The purpose …

The Post-Pandemic Influence On Social Emotional Learning In The K-12 Music Classroom, Jodie Michelle Rowe

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research study was to understand the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on the post-pandemic state of social emotional learning in music classrooms. This study addresses a vital need for an investigation into the current social emotional needs of students in music classes to then provide information on common practices for music teachers to utilize with their students to best meet these current needs in social emotional learning and communities of practice. The methodology utilized for this study was a qualitative narrative study approach, with focus groups serving as the main form of data collection. Results of …

Comparison Of Traditional To Hybrid Modality Of Instruction, Paul Michael Spadaro

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The COVID-19 pandemic caused unprecedented disruption in education across the United States. Prior to the pandemic, students in third grade struggled with low reading proficiency, a difficulty that predicts persistent academic struggles, school dropout, and even delinquency. Districts in South Carolina and around the United States adapted to the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic in various ways, and among these strategies were a traditional learning modality, where students attended school only in-person and when possible, and a hybrid learning modality, where students alternatively attended in-person and remotely. It is important to understand the potential impacts of these scheduling decisions on …

How Marginalized Students Find Themselves Included In Syllabi: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, Jean Kennedy Bennett

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation presents the first known Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) investigation of how marginalized students are included in syllabi. This study fills a gap in the literature due to the changing demographic of college students, the absence of faculty who share these marginalized identities, the syllabus being the first point of contact with students, and syllabi studies not including student voices. There were two research questions: how do marginalized students understand themselves as included in syllabi? and, how do marginalized students make meaning of their experiences with syllabi through their intersecting identities? This study used IPA to analyze each participant's …

Evaluating Clinical Educational Learning Outcomes For A Changing Field: Utilizing A 2:1 Collaborative Learning Model In An Acute Care Setting For First Semester Speech-Language Pathology Graduate Students, Lori-Ann Ferraro

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Exploring clinical education models that may increase the number of clinical placements while improving learning outcomes is an important step in preparing competent entry-level speech-language pathologists. Placement shortages play an important role in the urgency of evaluating the efficacy of alternative clinical education models in SLP. The 2:1 collaborative learning model is a promising exemplar that has the potential to increase the number of clinical placements in practice settings twofold while simultaneously providing an excellent learning experience for students.

A retrospective, qualitative, descriptive, embedded case study design methodology was used. Recruitment was directed at both the first year SLP graduate …

Covid-19 & Mathematics Achievement: A Casual-Comparative Study, Jay M. Johnson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Learning loss due to COVID-19 and the digital divide will have dire consequences for low-income students. This study used the Faucet Theory (Alexander et al., 2001) as a theoretical framework to determine the extent that the COVID-19 learning environment impacted the Southern Public Schools District’s African American, low-income, and high-income high school students’ proficiency level based on the Algebra I section of the 2020-2021 Louisiana Education Assessment Program (LEAP) assessment. The researcher used archival data from the LEAP, a causal-comparative research design, and a one-way ANOVA to test the hypotheses and answer the research question. The results of the one-way …

Postpartum Depression In Jamaica: Exploring The Lived Experiences., Shakeyrah Elmore

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the lived experiences of Jamaican women with postpartum depression (PPD). It is estimated globally, postpartum depression impacts 10-20% of women. In Jamaica, rates exceed global averages, with 26-60% of women experiencing PPD. Untreated maternal depression poses a significant physical, social, and economic threat to Jamaican women, children, and society as a whole. This study affirms that maternal mental health and postpartum depression are global public health concerns. There are limited studies that have examined PPD in Jamaican women, especially qualitatively. This research study utilized a qualitative descriptive approach to examine PPD experiences …

Longitudinal Insights Into Student Behaviors And Program Impact: A Multi-Year Analysis Of Post-Program Surveys Pre- And Post-Covid-19, Brendan Bernard Charles Harmon

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Substance use is arguably the most pertinent concern for college students. The prolonged use of substances has consequences that may impact many aspects of one’s life. As a result of decades worth of research, multiple evidence-based interventions have been created to help aid college students. One of these interventions includes BASICS, Brief Alcohol Screening and Intervention for College Students. This study examined experiences of the BASICS program participants with special attention to the impact of COVID-19. It used a convenience sample of 44 after-program survey respondents from 2015 to 2022 at a faith-based private university in Texas. This study found …

Peer Perceptions Of Parent-Students Seeking Higher Education, Alexandria M. Wall

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

With a growing number of parents pursuing academia, it is imperative that researchers understand the social environment in which parent-students function. Stereotypes of parent-students may be held by peers, faculty, and other educational supervisors. Across two previous independent studies, evidence and rationale were provided to suggest that both positive and negative perceptions of parent-students exist, with noted differences between gender. The purpose of the current 2x2x2 between-subjects study was to analyze the social perceptions of students enrolled in higher education as varied by parenthood status, age, and gender. The social perceptions included measures accounting for perceptions of intelligence and academic …

The Red Deeps: A Retelling Of George Eliot's The Mill On The Floss., Emily Denton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The culminating project toward my Ph.D. in Humanities under the Public Arts and Letters track is a combination of creative and scholarly work composed of two parts: a retelling of George Eliot’s novel The Mill on the Floss and a critical introduction outlining the creative concerns to the project. The novel, The Red Deeps, reimagines The Mill on the Floss in the recent past—during the late 1980s in the Copper Basin, the former copper mines in Eastern Tennessee. The critical preface draws broader categories of adaptation, ecocriticism, and climate fiction and incorporates theorists from new southern and Appalachian studies …

Investigation Of Light Management Strategies And Photochemistry Of Si/Tio2 Tandem Microwire Slurries For Solar Hydrogen Generation., Saumya Gulati

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The intermittent nature of the Sun makes it difficult to use it as a primary source of electricity and often needs to be supplemented by electricity from the grid which comes from fossil fuels. This motivates the need for solar energy storage. Photoelectrochemical (PEC) water-splitting has been explored as a means to convert solar energy into hydrogen (and oxygen), which can be stored as fuel. The current method of coupling PV and electrolyzer units has been widely commercialized, however, the cost of H₂ generated is far from the target of $1/kg set by the DOE under the Energy EarthShot …

Synaptic Properties Of Parabigeminal Circuits., Kyle Whyland

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Subcortical structures of the visual system have been the subject of intense study in recent years, but there remain some important unanswered questions regarding the synaptic relationships linking the nuclei that comprise this important sensory network within the brain. In these studies, we use several modern and traditional approaches, including viral tract tracing, in vitro slice physiology, immunohistochemistry, optogenetics, and electron microscopy to characterize the circuits linking the superior colliculus (SC), parabigeminal nucleus (PBG), and lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN), with particular focus on GABAergic and cholinergic cell types. We found that the SC, an important visuomotor structure with connections to …

Media Consumption Effects On College Students' Perceived Risk Of Victimization And Fear Of Crime: Does The Usage Of Social Media Police Scanners Alter Public Perceptions Of Safety?, David Kim

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Although there is a robust body of research examining various predictors of fear of crime, there are still predictors of one’s perceived safety that have not been thoroughly assessed. Using primary data collected from a sample of college students (N = 662) enrolled at five universities in the United States the main objective of the study was to identify the factors more likely to predict variations in fear of crime, which is viewed here as a bidimensional concept that includes the affective side of fear (worries about becoming a victim) and the cognitive dimension of fear (i.e., personal judgment of …

An Evaluation Of Hospital-Based Health Technology Assessment Processes In The United States., Scott Skinner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research study explored the practices of hospital-based health technology assessment (HTA) in the U.S., as experienced by healthcare technology management (HTM) professionals. HTA can play an important role in helping to evaluate health technologies at both the macro (e.g., policy) level as well as at the micro (e.g., institutional) level of the public health ecosystem (C. S. Goodman, 2004). HTA seeks to broadly evaluate the effects, properties, and other impacts of various health technologies (C. S. Goodman, 2004). Common goals of HTA are to evaluate the safety, effectiveness, and cost-benefit of health technologies. A primarily phenomenological approach was used …

“The Urgent Necessity For More Original Creative Works By Transgender And Gender Expansive Artists" Is Not The Title Of My Thesis., Alicia Fireel

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is a mix of personal reflection, academic research, and an examination of The Girl Crazy Queer and Other Fairy Tales, a play I wrote and performed in October of 2023, co-produced by The University of Louisville’s Department of Theatre Arts and Pandora Productions, a Louisville-based theatre company dedicated to Queer theatre. This thesis and the play mirror each other; both contemplate Queer experiences, Queer histories, Queer trauma, and Queer stories. In the thesis I accomplish this through examining four subjects: myself, my play, the connection between modes of storytelling and aspects of transgender Queerness, and the perils that …

An Investigation Into Structural Plasticity In Peripheral Taste Neurons Associated With Taste Cell Turnover., Zachary Whiddon

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The continual replacement of taste cells creates interesting questions regarding how the innervating neurons are impacted during this process. Here we ask how innervation within taste buds is affected when taste cell entry is inhibited and reestablished. Inhibition of sonic hedgehog signaling (Shh) is thought to inhibit taste cell turnover. Consistently, fewer new cells were added to individual taste buds after treatment with a Shh-inhibitor compared to vehicle treatment, and taste bud volume decreased after 16 days of treatment. We next examined how taste nerve fiber extension into the gustatory epithelium is affected by preventing taste cell turnover. Ten days …

The Forest For The Trees: How A Local Arboretum Shapes Rhetoric And Discourse Surrounding Environmentalism., Cooper Day

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Environmental communication has been situated as a crisis discipline; however, scholars have recently explored how to shift to include care within the discipline. To be sure, this does not mean the crisis element should be abandoned, but, instead coupled with care so that environmental messages are positive and forward looking. This project contributes to this shift by looking at how green spaces are constructed to deliver messages of environmental care. More specifically, I analyze how Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest, located about 30 miles South of Louisville, KY, has been constructed and works to promote environmental care in a variety …

Tumor Targeting Gold Nanoparticles For Delivery Of Rna And Dna Oligonucleotide Therapies For Glioblastoma., Nicholas Allen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Glioblastoma (GBM) brain tumors are highly aggressive gliomas due to genetic and cellular heterogeneity. Current GBM treatment consists of surgical resection of the tumor combined with radio- or chemo-therapies. While these treatments have increased the life expectancy for GBM patients up to 20 months, they have had little effect on the 5-year survival rate. The complex cellular and genetic composition of the tumor makes current treatments less effective long term. One approach to developing more effective GBM treatments is to customize nanoparticle-based drug delivery systems that can directly target the aberrant gene expression patterns within a particular GBM tumor. Delivery …

Uncovering Testimonios Of Traditional Healing Practices Among Latinx College Students In El Nuevo Sur., Sarah Nuñez

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Latinx college students in el Nuevo Sur face many barriers to their educational success. Latinx students in el Nuevo Sur live in a part of the country where few opportunities to embrace their cultures are present or centered in educational settings. Reclaiming and remembering their cultures within the higher education setting could act as a catalyst for their success and is the motivation for this dissertation. Through testimonios, photo/image-elicitation, and journal writing with ten participants, I listened to and witnessed the students’ stories. Through unfolding the students’ testimonios, I uncovered and supported students to rediscover healing practices as a tool …

Inpatient Department Hospital Utilization Among Pregnant Women With Spinal Cord Injury Or Paralysis In The United States., Sonali Salunkhe

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

BACKGROUND: Spinal cord injury (SCI) results from damage to the spinal cord, leading to a temporary or permanent alteration in its normal function, usually causing a lifelong disability. SCI is one of the major causes of paralysis. Due to a sparsity of available research and to address the existing gaps, it is essential to evaluate the inpatient hospital use of pregnant women with SCI/paralysis. METHODS: This study operationalizes inpatient hospital use in three ways. We used the National (Nationwide) Inpatient Sample (NIS) from 2006 through 2019. The first analysis used a hurdle model for length of hospital stay and a …

Social Ecological Resilience, Social Capital, Anomie And The Impact Of Covid-19., Kevin Pacifico Gonzaga

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

From climate change to racial tension and income inequality, many difficulties face the United States and those who live within its borders. The extreme and increasing political polarization in the United States as well as the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic have only made these challenges more difficult to address. In this complex web of adversity, the concept of resilience is important to study. Resilience may be broadly defined as the ability to “bounce back” or return to adaptive functioning after experiencing significant adversity or challenges (Smith et al., 2008). Better understanding how resilience functions and the general state of …

Profitable, Alternative Income Generation And Improved Quality Of Life Among Global Beekeepers, Chris Honeycutt

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Interventions that promote alternative income generation (AIG) to address social determinants of health are associated with increased household income and improved health outcomes. Organizations have used beekeeping to address poverty and other development goals with mixed outcomes. Beekeeping presents a viable option to promote AIG. Organizations increase their risk of failing to achieve positive outcomes when beekeeping interventions are inadequate. This project aims to develop an organizational assessment tool that measures organizational position in relation to evidence-based factors for income generation and improved quality of life among global beekeepers. The assessment is organized into seven domains that correspond with PRECEDE-PROCEED …

Detection Of Toxic Aldehydes In Aerosols Of Electronic Cigarettes., Ellie Bess Reed

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Over the past decade, use of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) has increased in the younger generations of the United States. With the broad range of flavors and devices distributed on the market, American youth are prime marketing targets for the e-cigarette industry. To create a more regulated market, research of this thesis has been conducted on newer generations of e-cigarette “MOD” devices to examine how e-cigarette battery power output and coil temperature, concentrations of propylene glycol and vegetable glycerin, added flavorings (strawberry, mango, and menthol), and the presence of nicotine affect generation of aerosol particles and aldehydes in aerosols emitted by …

The Study Of Corrosion On Additive-Manufactured Metals., Braydan Daniels

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate and compare the corrosion mechanisms between wrought and additive-manufactured (3D-printed) copper and stainless steel. The experimental procedure consisted of measuring the open circuit potential, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, linear sweep voltammetry, Tafel analysis, surface topology, and scanning electron microscopy for each metal within salt water, tap water, sulfuric acid, and synthetic body fluid (excluding copper in synthetic body fluid).

Overall, printed stainless steel was more corrosion-resistant than wrought stainless steel in tap water and synthetic body fluid based on OCP, LSV, and surface topology results. Additionally, printed copper was more corrosion-resistant than wrought …